Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2900 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to add a voter verifiable paper audit trail that contains a record of the voter's ballot selections to be used to verify a voter's vote as an alternate requirement for verification in electronic voting.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Elections, the Office of the County Clerk for the County of Maui, the Office of the County Clerk for the County of Hawaii, the Office of the City Clerk for the City and County of Honolulu, the Office of the County Clerk for the County of Kauai, the Office of the County Clerk for the County of Hawaii, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and the League of Women Voters of Hawaii. The Disability and Communication Access Board took no position on the measure but submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that this measure clarifies that electronic voting systems may generate either a paper ballot or a voter verifiable paper audit trail to verify a voter's votes. Adding the voter verifiable paper audit trail will further accessibility, especially for disabled voters, to voting and will strengthen the fairness, security, and integrity of elections.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2900, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.